Interaction Analysis of Educational Activities When Children are the Principal Participants: Focusing on Explaining Exhibit Activities at the Museum

Abstract

This study focuses on the ways exhibits are explained to children visiting the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan). While Science Communicators (SCs) explain about exhibits to children, adults accompanying children or caregivers, often offer assistance to children. In the cases examined here, we found that caregivers added comments or physically lifted their children, so that their children could have more opportunities to speak, to understand about an exhibit, or be able to adequately view it. The assistance of caregivers was found to not only help deal with problems, but also contributed to the unfolding of activities. Although neither the SCs nor the caregivers were trained in education, they collaborated effectively in order to support the children’s full participation and treated the children as principal participants. The results show how education in museums is put into practice and indicate the importance of education and learning in our daily lives.